USER MANUAL

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USER MANUAL

TRAINING CENTRES

JUNE 2013

2CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO ACW 3

GETTING ACCESS TO ACW 4

1. LOGGING IN 5

2. OVERVIEW 6

3. ADMINISTRATION - HOW TO... 7

3.1. Add/Edit Users 7

3.2. Disable User Accounts 8

3.3. View/Amend Organisation Details 9

4. 4. APPRENTICES - HOW TO... 10

4.1. Add A Single Apprentice 10

- Step 1 of 3 10

- Step 2 of 3 11

- Step 3 of 3 12

4.2. Bulk Upload Apprentices 13

4.3. Search For An Apprentice 14

4.4. Adding Evidence To An Apprentice Record 15

4.5. Submit An Apprentice For Certification 16

4.6. Print/Exporting Apprentice Data 18

4.7. Manage Rejected Apprentices 19

4.8. Manage Apprentices Awaiting Certification 20

4.9. Checking Evidence & Changing The Status 20

4.10. Awaiting Certification (also referred to as Pending Certification) 21

4.11. Payment Pending (This tab is NOT used by all Bodies) 21

4.12. Certificate Approved 21

5. 5. ACW OPERATIONAL SUPPORT 22

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33INTRODUCTION TO ACW

FEDERATION FOR INDUSTRY SECTOR SKILLS AND STANDARDS (FISSS) AND THE ACW SYSTEM

FISSS is the certifing authority for apprenticeships in Wales and hosts Apprenticeship Certificates

Wales (ACW).

Working in partnership with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), FISSS shares the

belief that a sectoral approach is the best way to create the conditions for increased investment in skills

which will, in turn, drive enterprise, create jobs and deliver sustainable economic growth.

ACW is a web based system that is designed to enable access to training providers, employers and

apprentices to request Apprenticeship completion certificates.

FISSS sits in the middle of a hub and spoke model where SSC/SSBs use ACW to:

• Receive requests for certificates from learning providers, employers or apprentices.

• Review submitted requests and evidence provided and either approve or reject, with appropriate

reason/s and certification requests.

• Print and issue Apprenticeship completion certificates, providing that all of the current Apprenticeship

framework requirements have been met.

It is unlikely that many individual apprentices will be directly requesting their completion certificate via

ACW and they are more likely to do this via their training provider. However, the ACW system does

facilitate apprentices applying directly for their own completion certificates.

NB: The Completion Certificate Claim form must be completed by the person who is submitting the

Apprenticeship Completion Certificate Claim (also known as claimant) to confirm that all components

of the Apprenticeship framework have been completed. You can locate the form on the home page of

the ACW home page: http://www.acwcerts.co.uk/. When the form has been completed it will need to be

uploaded to the Apprenticeship Certification Wales (ACW) system.

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44GETTING ACCESS TO ACW

Providers (known as Centres) need to register to get access to ACW. This is done by completing an online registration request

form which can be accessed via: www.acwcerts.co.uk/register_centre

Centres select all of the SSCs/SSBs (known as Certification Bodies) they need to work with and once the registration form is submitted,

the ACW access request is sent to the Administrator at each of the selected Certification Bodies.

ACW Administrators at each of the relevant Certification Bodies register the Centre and create an Administrator account and password which is then sent to the e-mail address provided

on the submitted ACW access request form.

Certification Bodies also assign centres the necessary access to the required frameworks.

Centre Administrators can now access ACW and can create additional user accounts within their organisation.

They can now use ACW to input learner data and load the evidence required to claim an Apprenticeship completion certificate.

FISSS is the Certifying Authority for Apprenticeships in Wales as set out in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act (ASCL) enacted in November 2010.The network of SSCs/SSBs (Certification Bodies) act as nominated agents of FISSS to issue Apprenticeship Completion Certificates, on their behalf. Each Certification Body is authorised to issue Apprenticeship completion certificates for all the frameworks within their sectorial remit.

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Please be aware that the Username and Password are both case sensitive.

Keep all passwords in a safe place and do not reveal them to anyone. ACW

follows the history of each Apprentice by tracking login details.

If additional user accounts need to be added then the Admin User will be able to set up

accounts for colleagues to access the system.

REMEMBER!

• Go to www.acwcerts.co.uk

• Click on the Login Button, which will take you to the login page �.

• Enter your Username and Password*

• Click the Login Button to enter �.

• Please refer to the technical guidance to make sure your system meets the ACW system requirements �.

- Green ticks areconfirmationyour system is compatible.

- Red denotes incompatibility

Should you have any problems logging in with

your username and password, please contact

the relevant Certification Body.

Alternatively please contact the ACW

Support Team:

Telephone: 0844 326 7565 E-mail: acw@fisss.org

1. LOGGING IN

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Once you have logged in to ACW, you will see this home screen with the following options:

1. Apprentices – View, Add or Bulk Upload apprentices, search for and edit apprentice details.

2. Rejected –Viewandupdateapprenticesforcertification.

3. Awaiting Certification – View and update apprentices awaitingcertification.

4. Payment Pending – View and update which apprentice certificatesarestilltobepaidfor(ifapplicable).

5. Certificate Approved – View apprentices that are waitingfortheircertificatetobeprinted.Oncetheyhave been printed the apprentice will be removed from this folder.

NB:- The numbers in brackets, on each of the tabs, indicates the number of records currently active within each of the tabbed categories.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS – along bottom of screen

6. Top – Takes you back to the top of the current screen.

7. Contact Us – Contact details for Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards Managers of ACW.

8. Users - Allows users of ACW to be created. More information can be found on page 7

9. Organisation Details - Check organisation details

10. Search Tools - Youcanusethesearchtoolstofilterinformation. More information can be found on page 14

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2. OVERVIEW

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73. ADMINISTRATION - HOW TO...

3.1 ADD/EDIT USERS

To add a new user:

- Select the Users Tab � and click Add User �.

- Enter all of the information ensuring that the contact details are correct �.

- Once complete, select Create Item �.

To edit an existing User:

- Double click on the username and amend the detail, then select Update Item.

Please note only admin logins can add and amend User details.

REMEMBER!

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83. ADMINISTRATION - HOW TO...

3.2 DISABLE USER ACCOUNTS

• The Certification Body Adminstration

User can disable account on the system.

By disabling the account this will mean

that the record of previous work is kept

but the User will no longer have access

to the system. If the Certification Body

Adminstration User details need to be

amended, you will need to contact:

ACW Support Team

Telephone: 0844 326 7565

E-mail: acw@fisss.org

• To disable an account, double click on

the User to open the record �.

• Click on the drop down arrow next to

User Status and select Inactive �.

• Click Update Item to save changes �.

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3.3 VIEW/AMEND ORGANISATION DETAILS This is where you can view the organisation details. If there are any amendments required pleasecontacttherelevantCertificationBody.

3. ADMINISTRATION - HOW TO...

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4.1 ADD A SINGLE AppRENTICE

STEp 1 OF 3

There are two ways to add an apprentice – one at a time using the form or a bulk upload viaaCSVfile.

To add a single apprentice, ensure that you are in the Apprentice Tab �, click Add Apprentice � button.

4. AppRENTICES - HOW TO...

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4.1 ADDING A SINGLE AppRENTICE

STEp 2 OF 3

The Apprentice record is now ready to be completed:

- Basic Information

- Employer Details

- Identifiers (NINumber,otheruniqueidentifiers and NOTtheACWNo.)

Onceallofthemandatoryfieldshavebeencompleted(thesearemarkedwitha*)selectCreate Item �. This will then reveal 3 new tabs:

- Framework

- Status

- Current Evidence

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4.1 ADDING A SINGLE AppRENTICE

STEp 3 OF 3

FRAMEWORKS Select which Frameworks will be completed by the Apprentice.

STATUS This tab shows the Status of the Apprentice. When you add an Apprentice it will automatically be given the status Entered. There is further explanation of the Status later in the manual

CERTIFICATE EVIDENCE The Frameworks selected will determine which evidence isrequiredforcertification.Thereisfurtherexplanation ofuploadingcertificateevidenceonpage 15

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4. AppRENTICES - HOW TO...

4.2 BULK UpLOAD AppRENTICES

The Bulk Upload facility � allows you to add multipleapprenticesatonce,auto-fillingtheapprentice and employer details.

Therearetwofiletypesavailable,aCSV or Excel

file.WerecommendtheuseoftheExcelfileasthisisgenerally easier to enter the data.This must be saved asaCSVfilebeforeloadingtoACW.

OncethefilehasbeenloadedtoACWyouwillneedto enter the framework details for the each apprentice.

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4. AppRENTICES - HOW TO...

4.3 SEARCH FOR AN AppRENTICE

The Apprentice Tab allows you to search for and view all apprentices registered on ACW.

There are a variety of search options, using both text and drop down menus �. This allows you to set the required search criteria. You can search by:

- Centre

- Framework

- Status

- Ref No. (ACW No. or NI No.)

- Keyword

- Date of Birth (from / to)

- Registration Date (from / to)

- Certification Date (from / to)

• When you have set your required search criteria click the Search Button �.

• Or click the Magnifying Glass �  to reveal the  Find �  option. The drop down menu � allows you to search by:

- Surname

- Forename

- NI Number

• Once you have entered your search criteria you must then press the enter key to initiate the search.

• To navigate between pages you can use the blue arrow keys or type in the white box area to specify a page �.

• The Displaying information text shows how many items there are in total and what page is showing �.

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4.4 ADDING EVIDENCE TO AN AppRENTICE RECORD

The Certificate Evidence tab provides a listofallevidencerequiredforcertification.Allevidence must be loaded separately next to each requirement.

- Select the Browse button, a pop up will open where you can select the appropriatefilefromyoursystem.

- Click Openandthefilewillbe uploaded to ACW.

Please note, the maximum file size is 2MB. Any larger and the system will not

accept the upload.

REMEMBER!

4. AppRENTICES - HOW TO...

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4.5 SUBMIT AN AppRENTICE FOR CERTIFICATION

• Once you have uploaded all evidence, go to the Status tab  and change the status to Pending Certification. This will open a validation box where you can check:

- Mandatoryfieldshavebeencompleted.

- All evidence has been uploaded.

- Completion date has been entered.

- Any missing information will be highlighted in red.

The 10-day turnaround time starts from the date theapprenticeissubmittedforcertification.Youcan view this in the days elapsed column on the View Apprentices page.

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When the Certifying Body has reviewed the submission, they will change the status to one of the following:

• CERTIFICATE AUTHORISED � ThismeansthattheCertifyingBodyissatisfiedthatall of the components within the Apprenticeship Certificateclaimhavebeensuccessfullycompletedbytheapprentice.Thecertificateisnowreadytoprint,oncethecertificatehasbeenprintedtheapprentice record will be removed from the tab andthestatuswillsaycertificateprinted.

• PAYMENT PENDING � ThismeansthattheCertifyingBodyissatisfiedthatall of the components within the Apprenticeship Certificateclaimhavebeensuccessfullycompletedby the apprentice. However they need to receive either payment or a purchase order number before theycanprocessthecertificate.Youwillneedtodiscuss this will the Certifying Body regarding the individual payment process.

• REJECTED � This means that the Certifying Body is not satisfiedthat all of the components within the Apprenticeship Certificateclaimhavebeensuccessfullycompletedby the apprentice. The reason for the rejection will be e-mailed to the main admin user and the person who submitted the submission. Refer to page 19 for further information.

Please note it is important to keep email addresses up to date on the system so you don’t miss the notifications.

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We recommend that you limit the list for printing or exporting to 100 apprentices as

anymore may slow the system down.

REMEMBER!

4.6 pRINT/ExpORTING AppRENTICE DATA

Use the drop-down �  to select the number of Apprenticestoprint(uptomaximumof100).

• Select Print View � to print the list view of the selected number of Apprentices

• Select the Export All button � to export the apprentices listed on screen. This will open as an Excel spread sheet.

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4.7 MANAGE REjECTED AppRENTICES

• The Rejected tab �  allows you to view all of the Apprentices that have been rejected forcertification,bytheCertificationBody.The number in brackets on the tab  indicates the number of Apprentices that are currently in this category.

• To view a rejected Apprentice, double click on their name  and their record will open.

• Click on the Status Tab �  and the Status

History will be displayed.

• Click on Rejected Request �  and the date of, and reason for rejection will be recorded.

• Once changes have been made, return to the Status tab.

• You are able to add additional comments to the rejection history in the comment box and select Add Comment �  before navigating away from the page.

• Once the changes have been made, re-submit the apprentice in the Status tab �.

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4.8 MANAGE AppRENTICES AWAITING CERTIFICATION

The system prevents two users editing an apprentice’srecordatthesametime.Thiswillappear as being Locked �. The second user to open the record will be presented with a read-only view �.

You can see who has the record open under the apprentice tab. If that person is unavailable then please contact the ACW Support Team to unlock the record.

4.9 CHECKING EVIDENCE & CHANGING THE STATUS

If there are queries raised by either the training providerorCertificationBodyregardingcertainpieces of evidence the FISSS have the finalsay.

FISSS will look at the evidence on the system and if accepted will add a note under the individual evidence to provide clarity on why the evidence has been accepted and this will be locked so that the training provider is unable to amend the evidence once accepted. This could happenpriortothecertificationbodyreviewingthe evidence but you will be able to see the comment added by FISSS.

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4.10 AWAITING CERTIFICATION (alsoreferredtoasPendingCertification)

• The Awaiting Certification Tab �  allows you to view alloftheApprenticesthatareawaitingcertification.Thenumber in brackets on the tab indicates the number of Apprentices that are currently in this category.

• You will be able to see many days have elapsed since submission in line with the 10-day turnaround �.

4.11 pAYMENT pENDING (ThistabisNOTusedbyallBodies)

• The number in brackets on the tab indicates the number of Apprentices that are currently in this category.

• Where it is in use, it shows the list of Apprentices that have had their uploaded evidence checked and approved and that everything is in order. However, paymentforthecertificatehasnotyetbeenreceived.Until payment is received, the Apprentice status will notbeupdatedtoCertificateAuthorised,enablingthecertificatetobeprinted.

• Please contact the Certifying Body for their payment processtofindoutifthistabisused.

4.12 CERTIFICATE AppROVED

• The Certificate Approved Tab allows you to view all of the Apprentices that have been authorised for certificationandwaitingfortheircertificatetobeprinted.The number in brackets on the tab indicates the number of Apprentices that are currently in this category.

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If you have any further queries or you are experiencing a problem, please contact the ACW Support Team:

Telephone: 0844 326 7565 E-mail: acw@fisss.org

5. ACW OpERATIONAL SUppORT

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